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PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

H. G. 'SEDGWIGK. ALARM APPARATUS FOR LOCOMOTIVES. APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1903. RENEWED FEB. 23. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNTTED STATES Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT FFICE.

ALARM APPARATUS FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 770,662, dated. September 20, 1904.

Application filed April 27, 1903. Renewed February 23, 1904. Serial No. 194,878. (No model.)

T0 or whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HIRAM Gr. SnDewIoK, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Apparatus for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus applied to a locomotive; Fig. 2, an enlarged detail viewof the whistle-operating mechanism, parts being shown in section to more clearly illustrate its construction; Fig. 3, an end elevation of the fluid-pressure valve for releasing the whistle-operating mechanism, and Fig. 1 a transverse sectional view of the fluid-pressure valve.

This invention has for its main object to provide an alarm apparatus designed to be carried on a train and to be operated by a fixed device on the road-bed whereby should a train pass a danger-signal the alarm will be sounded or brought to its operative position and be held in operation until the brakes on the train be applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide an alarm apparatus which may be operated in conjunction with the air-brake system of a train, the compressed air being utilized to set the alarm mechanism in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an alarm apparatus to automatically set in operation the locomotive-whistle and to hold said whistle in operation until the engineer applies the brakes.

Other important objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates an air-storage tank mounted on the locomotive in any suitable or convenient position. This tank may be the usual airreservoir of theair-brake system carried on the locomotive and in which a pressure of about ninety pounds is maintained, or it may be an independent reservoir located in any suitable position. On the locomotive, between the pilot-truck and the forward driving-wheel, is secured a valve-casing 2. Within this casing is mounted a rotatable valve 3, said valve being arranged horizontally in the casing and provided with an outward-extending valvestem 4. On the outer end of this valve-stem is secured a depending striker-arm 5, which extends near to the road-bed. The valve-casing is formed with an inlet-port 6, which is connected, by means of the pipe 7, with the storage-tank 1, and with a pair of outlet-ports 8, which are in communication with the pipe 9. The valve 3 is provided with an outletport 10, which is adapted to register with the ports 8 as said valve is moved in one direction or the other by means of the strikerarm, the said outlet-port when the valve is in its normal position lying between the two outlet-ports 8 of the valve-casing. The purpose of providing valve 3 with two outletports is to permit the valve to be opened while the locomotive is running either backward or forward.

On the road-bed at the desired point is mounteda contact device 11, which is adapted to be brought to a vertical position whenever it is desired to operate the alarm apparatus on the locomotive. When in its vertical position, this contact device is in the path of the strikerarm 5 of the valve 3 and will rotate said valve sufficiently to bring one of its ports 8 in communication with the outlet-port 10 and permit air to pass from the reservoir through the valve into the pipe 9. To return the valve 3 to its normal closed position, an upward-extending arm 12 is connected to the valve-stem, and springs 13 bear on said arm on opposite sides thereof and return said arm to its normal vertical position when the striker-arm is released-from the contact device.

On the locomotive-cab, slightly below the engineers whistle-rod 14, is mounted a horizontal whistle-opening cylinder 15, the rear end ,of which is connected by the pipe 9 to the outlet-ports of the valve-casing. Within this cylinder is mounted a piston 16, to which is connected a forward-extending piston-rod 17, a coil-spring 18 being interposed between said piston and the forward cylinder-head to normally maintain the piston at the rear end of the cylinder. On the forward end of the piston-rod 17 is rigidly mounted an upward-exi of alarm device, as any suitable soundingtending arm 19, which when the piston is moved forward contacts with anenlargement or collar 20, rigidly secured on the whistle-rod, and forces said whistle-rod forward to open the whistle. Above the cylinder 15 ismounted end of the arm 24 of the bell-crank lever and slightly depress the same. After the stop has passed the forward end of the arm of said lever said arm will spring back to its normal position by reason of the spring 26 in the small cylinder 21, which spring is interposed between the piston therein and the forward head of the cylinder. It is obvious that this stop will then hold the piston-rod 17 in its forward position, and thereby maintain the whistle in its open operative position. The rear end of the small whistle-releasing cylinder 21 is connected by a pipe 27 to the airbrake cylinder 28 of the driving-wheel brake at such a point that when air is admitted to said cylinder it will also pass through the pipe 27 into the whistle-releasing cylinder and force forward the piston therein. thereby swinging downward the arm 24 of the bell-crank lever and releasing the rod 17 and permitting the whistle-rod to be drawn inward to close the,

whistle. It is obvious that the pipe 27 may be connected to any of the brake-cylinders of the air-brake system, and it is also obvious that air will be admitted to the whistle-releasing cylinder when the brakes are applied either by an engineer in the cab or by the conductor on the train, it being well known that should the conductor pull the brake-cord in any one of the cars of the train all the brakes are applied on the engine as well as on all the cars of the train. A small vent 15 is formed in the rear end of the cylinder 15 to permit the air to escape therefrom when the pistonrod 17 is released. v v

The contact devices on the road-bed may be of any desired construction and may be lo- 'cated by the side of the track or between the tracks, as desired.

I desire it understood that while I have shown and described the apparatus as designed to operate the whistle as the alarm means I do not wish to be limited to this form means may be employed, and it is also to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the precise form of apparatus shown and described, as many changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains, comprising a fluid-pressure supply, a fluidpressure whistle-setting mechanism in communication with said fluid-pressure supply, a valve interposed between the supply and the whistle-setting mechanism, and a road-bed device adapted to be set to operate said valve, means for automatically locking the whistle in its set position, and means adapted to be connected to the brake system to release the whistle when the brakes are applied.

2. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains, comprising a whistle setting mechanism, means for operating said setting mechanism said means being normally out of operative position, and a road-bed device adapted to be set to operate the whistle-setting mechanism, means for automatically locking the whistle in its set position, and means adapted to be connected to the brake system to release the whistle when the brakes are applied.

3. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains, comprising a sounding means carried by the train, mechanism on the train for settingsaid sounding means in operation, said mechanism being normally out of operative position, and a road-bed device adapted to be set to actuate the alarm-setting mechanism, means for automatically locking the whistle in its set position, and means adapted to be connected to the brake system to release the whistle when the brakes are applied.

4. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains,

comprising a sounding means, mechanism for setting said sounding means in operation said mechanism being normally out of operative position, a road-bed device adapted to be set to actuate the sounding means, means for automatically locking the sounding means in operative position, a fluid-pressure means for releasing said sounding means, said release means being in communication with the brake System whereby when the brakes are applied the sounding means will be released.

5. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains comprising, a fluid-pressure supply, a fluidpressure whistle-operating mechanism in communication with the fluid-pressure supply, a valve normally closing said communication, a road-bed device adapted to be set to open the said valve, means for automatically locking the whistle-operating mechanism, a fluid-pressure release means in communication with the air-brake system whereby when the brakes are applied the whistle-locking mechanism will be released.

6. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains comprising, an air-storage tank, a whistleopening cylinder in communication with said tank, a piston in said cylinder and adapted to move the whistle-operating rod, a valve interposed between the storage-tank and the whistle-opening cylinder, said valve being normally closed, a road-bed device adapted tobe set to open said valve, and means for automatically locking the whistle open, and fluidpressuremechanism for releasing said locking means said fluid-pressure mechanism being in communication with the air-brake system.

7. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains comprising, an air-storage tank, a whistleopening cylinder in communication with said tank, a piston in said cylinder and adapted to move the whistle-opening rod, a valve interposed between the storage-tank and the whistle-opening cylinder, said valve being normally closed, a road-bed device adapted to be set to open said valve, means for automatically locking the whistle open, a whistle-releasing cylinder, a piston therein and adapted to move the whistle-locking mechanism said cylinder being in communication with the air-brake system whereby when the brakes are applied the whistle will be released and permitted to close.

8. An alarm apparatus comprising, an airpressure tank, a whistle-opening cylinder in communication with said tank, an air-valve interposed between said cylinder and tank and normally closing said communication, a roadbed device adapted to be set to open said valve, means for closing said valve when it is out of contact with the road-bed device, a piston in the whistle-opening cylinder, a rod connected to said piston and adapted to move the Whistle-opening rod when the air-valve is open, an automatic catch for locking the whistle open, a whistle-releasing cylinder, a pipe connecting said cylinder to a brake-cylinder, a piston in the whistle-releasing cylinder, and means connecting said piston to the whistle-locking device whereby when the brakes are applied the whistle will be unlocked.

9. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains, comprising a sounding means carried by the train, means for setting said sounding means in operation, means for locking said sounding means in operation, a releasing means connected to the air-brake system and adapted to release the sounding means when the airbrakes are applied.

10. An alarm apparatus for railroad-trains, comprising, a sounding means carried by the train, means for setting said sounding means in operation, means for locking said sounding means in operation, a releasing means connected to the brake system and adapted to release the sounding means when the brakes are applied.

11. In combination, a train equipped with a fluid-pressure brake system, an alarm device on the train, means for sounding said alarm and causing it to continue to sound, means connected to the brake system for stopping said alarm when the brakes are applied, and a road-bed device for starting said alarm.

12. In an alarm apparatus of the class described, the combination, of a train equipped with a brake mechanism, an alarm on the train, means partly on the road-bed and partly on the train for starting this alarm and cansing it to continue sounding, and means connected to the brake devices for stopping the alarm when the brakesare applied.

13. In an alarm apparatus of the class described, the combination of a train equipped with a brake system, an alarm on the train, means for automatically starting said alarm and continuing it, and means connected to the brake system for stopping the alarm when the brakes are applied.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 23d day of April, 1903.

HIRAM G. SEDGWIGK.

IVitnesses:

Orro A. StroLz, MAUDE HARPER. 

